Reel Of Light
by Cevvie
Summary: Updated - A vortex that links to Alternative Realities spits out two girls, what SG-1 don't realise is that these girls are from our universe.
1. Swirly

**Chapter One - Swirly**

**Author's note:** Some of the characters are based on people I know. Hi to them, I love you, I hope you like this story and don't shout at me later. ;-D

I wrote this about three years ago, but have only recently decided to post it up.

* * *

It had been a long day and Kerry-Anne Ramsey was tired. She had been working hard at college and was ready to go home, but the day was not over. She still had two hours of her administration class left, she then had to go home and get ready for her psychology class later that evening. Tuesdays were busy days; long, boring, busy days.

The strip light above her head flickered on, off and then on again. That light never worked, but every week she and her friends would sit under it, it had a strange calming effect on them all; it actually helped them to concentrate whereas others were distracted by it. She looked up from her computer screen to see her friend Emma Kalmin. Kerry and Emma had known each other for only five months but already they were good friends.

Every Tuesday dinnertime the girls would stagger around the town, Big Macs in hand, giggling about nothing and everything. They would run the wrong way up escalators; eat Skittles, which sent Emma hyper; and just have fun. They were young, they could get away with doing crazy things and they knew it. Often it got them into trouble, but they didn't really care, they were young, free and in no danger.

As their eyes met over the classroom the two girls started to giggle, Emma, who had half a mouth full of orange juice, lurched forward in laughter. Both girls started to laugh, their eyes watering, their bodies shaking.

"What's so funny?" Their mutual friend Stacy Clunes called from around her computer screen.

"What's so funny?" The two girls laughed back. Nothing was funny about the question, but they were both so hyper it didn't matter. Stacy rolled her eyes.

She was the most sensible of the group, still fun to be around, but she was the grounding force. The one who told the others to run when Emma started fights in clubs, the one who explained to police that Emma wasn't on drugs, just a Skittle rush; Stacy was the one who kept them out of the trouble the three of them were always causing.

"Emma!" Stacy warned, aware that their tutor was only outside the room. "Kerry!"

Both girls started to calm themselves. "Sorry." Kerry managed.

Their tutor walked in and sat at a large desk behind Emma. After taking out several folders filled with forms and essays she began to work.

Emma started to giggle.

"What?" Kerry whispered.

"I can't swallow my drink." Emma chuckled.

Kerry started to giggle as well. "You're weird." Kerry smiled. "Can't swallow, always falling over and taking to weird people."

Emma's laughter grew. "I know! Help!"

Kerry lurched forward, clutching her sides. "Help I've fallen over, come and talk to me!"

"Have you fallen over Kerry?" Their tutor, Irene, asked. The two girls fell about laughing.

Kerry shook her head, unable to speak, and pointed at Emma.

"Did she trip you?" Irene half laughed, catching on to the girls joke. The two girls shook their heads and laughed. Anyone passing the classroom would have through they were mad, but those inside knew better.

It was not unknown for Emma to trip or fall over. She was sometimes clumsy, but good-natured. However, where others would try to play down falling over, Emma would announce it. It was also known that Emma seemed to attract people. Many times Kerry had had to drag Emma away from old ladies who had decided to talk to the hyper teen. Emma and Kerry were strange, people knew that. Strange things often happened to them, but they just took it in their stride and had fun.

"All right." Irene stood up. "It's two thirty now, you can go for a fifteen minute break if you want."

"I want." Kerry smiled at Emma.

"Yeah." Emma nodded back. "Me arse has gone numb sat here."

As the rest of the small class filed out of the classroom the two girls stood waiting for Stacy.

"Come on." Emma whined. "In fifteen minutes we can be at the shops and back."

"I'm not going to the shops." Stacy shook her head. Kerry and Emma often dragged Stacy into shops to look at the latest videos and CDs. "All you two ever look at is bloody Star Trek." Stacy pointed to Kerry. "Or flipping Stargate." Emma shifted as her favourite TV show was mentioned.

"Stargate SG-1, thank you very much!" Emma grinned and then started to whine again. "Come on."

Stacy rolled her eyes, first in disgust and then again in mock protest. "Fine."

"Come on." Kerry was half way out of the door. "We've only got ten minutes."

* * *

"Carter! What the hell is that?"

Colonel Jack O'Neill yelled to his team mate Captain Sam Carter. She ran to find him in the dark room.

"I'm not sure Sir." She replied truthfully. "It looks like some sort of vortex."

"Well, it's a big swirly wormhole thing." Jack shouted at Sam. "So it's pretty obvious that I know it's a vortex thingy, what sort though?"

"It could be anything Sir." Sam stated, clearly protesting at being shouted at. "A time vortex; a space vortex, like the Stargates; anything Sir."

"Where do you think it leads to?" Dr Daniel Jackson asked as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

"I don't know. I mean there's no way to find out without going through." Sam shrugged.

"Forget that!" Jack remarked.

"Perhaps we should be more concerned with what may come through." Teal'c calmly stated.

"Whatya saying Teal'c?" Jack half smiled.

"I am saying that we should prepare ourselves for what could be a Goa'uld trap." Teal'c raised one eyebrow. "They have the technology to create an artificial vortex such as this."

"O-K." Jack turned to Teal'c. "You keep an eye on this thing while Carter, you poke around, see where it goes without going."

"Yes Sir." Carter nodded.

"I will do so O'Neill." The large Jaffa nodded to Jack.

"Daniel!" Jack almost started.

"I know, get reading that text on the wall." Daniel walked over to the ancient text they had found earlier. "It looks like it's an old form of English. Lots of Thees and Thous."

"Thees and Thous." Jack nodded, mocking Daniel without the scientist even noticing. "Nice."

"It says here: 'Thou shalt not touch the reel of light'." Daniel squinted at the text. "They must have been talking about the vortex, reel is another word for, well, swirl."

"So they thought it was a swirly thing too." Jack nodded, satisfied he had got one over on the scientists in the group. "Sweet. What else does it say?"

"Well it goes on to say that many went through and didn't come back." Daniel shifted, thinking about the ancient people who must lived on this planet; how many of them must have died, going through into the unknown. "So, Sam, don't go through."

"Anything else Daniel?" Sam called from the mouth of the vortex.

"Yeah." He called back. "It says here something about 'Great Wonders' and that they come through the 'reel of light'."

"So things have come through?" Jack gripped his gun, uneasy with the thought.

"It looks that way." Daniel looked over at him. "I wonder what wonders they were talking about."

"Daniel you said that the text on the wall is an old form of English." Sam walked over to her male companions. Daniel nodded. "From what you've read out it sounds a lot like Shakespeare, well that kinda of era anyway."

"Whatya getting at Carter?" Jack took off his sunglasses and cocked his head at the Captain.

"Well, if they were speaking a form of English it's safe to assume that the Goa'uld haven't influenced these people." Sam looked from Daniel to Jack and back. Both had blank faces. "Don't you see, this town was only destroyed a few years ago, by a natural disaster; a flood from the look of things."

"I still don't see where you're going with this Sam." Daniel looked at his friend.

"I believe Captain Carter is attempting to say that the Goa'uld have not visited this world in many years." Teal'c chipped in calmly.

"Yes. That's it." Sam smiled at Teal'c, he nodded his response. "And the Goa'uld didn't create the vortex, I think it's a naturally occurring phenomenon created by this planet's high concentration of radioactivity in the atmosphere. I think that, somehow, it was created when the Stargate was build here, without the Stargate there'd be no vortex."

"How did you get all that from just looking at it?" Jack pointed at the vortex, exasperated by Sam's scientific ability.

"I took some readings Sir." Sam smiled. "And, I also noticed a small trail of energy emanating from the vortex." She pointed to a small line of white energy on the floor. It trailed around the bottom of the vortex and then snaked it's way across the room to the DHD.

"Bottom line Sir." Sam looked up at Jack. "The Goa'uld didn't make this."

"Right, I understand now." Daniel nodded. "But we still don't know where it leads to."

"Well read the wall Daniel." Jack pointed to the place in question. "Now that I know no snake heads are going to show up we can take our time."

* * *

"Hurry up!" Stacy called to her friends. "We're going to be late."

"No we're not!" Emma called back. "Irene won't be back on time anyway."

"Well I'm going." Stacy started to walk faster, she was going to be on time even if they weren't. She hated it when they got like this. Yes they could be fun, mad at times, but when they didn't want to work they pratted about, this was when she got annoyed with them. She actually wanted to get back to college, start working her way through her units and gain her NVQ qualification. Stacy turned to face the other two.

"Look, I'm going back." She put her hands on her hips. "Are you coming?"

"I dunno." Emma whined. "I'm tired..."

"I'm bored." Kerry put in.

"And I'm hungry." Emma started to grin.

Stacy rolled her eyes. "So what are you going to do this afternoon?"

"Well." Emma began. "I was planning on drinking, eating and, ooh, swirly!"

"What?" Stacy called from up the road. She was used to Emma coming out with nonsense, but it appeared this time her friend had gone mad. "Swirly?"

"A big swirly thing." Emma pointed round the corner.

"Emma!" Stacy called, sick of her friend's jokes. "I'm going now. Are you coming Kerry?"

But Kerry had begun to follow Emma round the corner to see the 'swirly thing'. Stacy half growled and half sighed as she set off for college.

Meanwhile Kerry and Emma were quite content to stare at the 'swirly thing' they had found. It was huge and round; like a giant floating whirlpool of purple energy. Every so often a small flash of lightening would streak across from the edge and disappear into the centre. Emma's jaw dropped.

"What is it?" Kerry managed to get out.

"I dunno." Emma murmured. "Swirly."

* * *

"Sir, the vortex seems to have stabilised." Sam called to Jack. He walked slowly over to look at the huge swirling mass. It looked no different.

"How do you know?" He squinted at Sam.

"I've been measuring its energy output. It was very high before, spiking all over the place."

"And now?" Jack was impatient, he hated all this science stuff. Partly because he didn't understand it, but mainly because it bored the hell out of him.

"Well now it's levelled off Sir." Sam smiled. "It's finished whatever it was doing and has settled down."

"Oh." Jack nodded, pretending to understand. "Woohoo." He added sarcastically.

Sam cocked her head and smiled. She liked his little jokes about science, in a strange way it made her feel more important; knowing she had an intellectual advantage over her CO.

"Jack!" Daniel called from the wall he had been studying. "Come and look at this."

"What now?" Jack murmured and wandered over to Daniel. Daniel pointed to an area of the wall covered in text.

"What?" Jack stared at the text.

"Well," Daniel started, obviously excited. "this passage says that many of their people went though never to return."

"Yeah."

"Now we assumed that was because the vortex was like the Stargates. One way. So the people either couldn't get back, or they died going through because it was an incoming wormhole." Daniel started to smile. "But this passage also says that many wondrous thing came through."

"I don't understand Daniel." Sam suddenly appeared to Daniel left, making Jack jump. "This doesn't mean that they aren't one way?"

"Yes." Daniel nodded and pointed to a different passage. "But this passage tells the story of the people who went through and then came back years later. It says said that they had stayed where they ended up, by choice. They weren't stuck at all. It also says that the worlds they found through the reel of light were the almost same as this one, but different in subtle ways."

"Whoa." Jack cried out. "Time out."

"What?" Daniel turned to Jack.

"You lost me back there. Does this mean that this isn't a Stargate thingy?"

"Sir." Sam pointed to the vortex. "This means that this is nothing like the Stargates. This means it more like the..."

"Mirrors." Daniel finished. "Jack, I think this vortex leads to alternate realities."

* * *

"Kerry?" Emma whispered. "What is it?"

"Swirly." Kerry whispered back, quite seriously.

"Ooh." Emma smiled. "It's pretty."

Kerry laughed at Emma. "It looks like a wormhole. Like in Stargate or Star Trek."

"Yep." Emma nodded. "But it's only ickle. A baby one."

"Might not be." Kerry shook her head. "Might just be a midget wormhole."

The two girls fell about laughing at the idea of a midget wormhole. The 'wormhole' gave a small shudder and started to grow.

"Err, Kerry." Emma grabbed Kerry's arm. "It doesn't like us calling it a midget, it's growing."

"We should go." Kerry half giggled.

"You're not kidding!" Emma tried to turn and run, but found that her legs would not move. "I can't move!" She cried.

"I can't either." Kerry almost screamed. "What's going on?"

"I don't... Argh!" Emma screamed.

"What?" Kerry shouted, the intense white light of the 'wormhole' which was slowly consuming them blinding her.

"I'm being pulled in!" Emma shouted as she disappeared into the 'wormhole'.

Moments later Kerry followed, screaming and kicking, trying to get free of the strong hold the vortex had on her. Kerry screamed as she disappeared into the unknown.

With a loud 'whoosh' the vortex disappeared, then everything was silent, only the traffic around the corner could be heard rushing by.

"Emma! Kerry!" Stacy came running down the road. "Irene says..." Stacy stopped mid sentence, she stared at the ground. Her friends' bags lay on the floor, smouldering and charred from the event horizon of the vortex. Stacy didn't utter a word or scream, she just turned and ran as fast as she could towards the college.

* * *

Inside the 'wormhole' Kerry couldn't feel her body, she couldn't see it either. All around her was white, with flashes of purple, yellow and red every few seconds. She could see what looked like a tunnel ahead, it was speeding towards her, stars on either side of it streaming past and turning into small white blurs. As Kerry entered the 'tunnel' it twisted and turned. She was being thrown around and it felt as though she were being turned inside out and frozen. The pain and cold were too much; Kerry closed her large blue eyes and was thrown into unconsciousness, as she was thrown through the stars.

* * *

The vortex began to rumble.

"Come on campers." Jack yelled. "Time to go."

"But Sir." Sam began. "We have no idea what..."

"Time! To! Go!" Jack yelled at Sam. "OK Captain?"

"Yes Sir." Sam nodded and started towards the Stargate. Suddenly the vortex started to shudder and spat out two figures.

"Sir!" Sam cried out as she started to run towards them. They were quite small and somewhat dishevelled.

"They're unconscious Sir." Sam called over to a suspicious Jack.

"They're human." Daniel called over from the taller of the two figures. "And female, I'd say late teens to early twenties."

"How did they get here?" Jack stood over the taller, slimmer, female. She looked to be the younger of the two with scarily pale skin. She had short, bobbed, blonde hair, and a pair of glasses perched on the end of her nose; she looked strangely like Daniel.

He moved over to the shorter of the new arrivals, she had much shorter red hair styled high on her head. Her white trousers had ridden up her legs to look like shorts and her black top had a small tear. She had mascara smeared down her cheeks, blending in with her freckles and making her foundation run.

'She looks terrible with all that make up.' Thought Jack. 'Mind you they both look terrible, like they've been dragged through a couple of hedges backwards.'

"Do we take them with us Sir?" Sam looked up at Jack from the eldest girl.

"They're badly hurt." Daniel chipped in.

"We should help them O'Neill." Teal'c finally spoke.

"Agreed." Jack bent down and picked up the red haired girl, as Teal'c picked up the other. Slowly SG-1 made their way back to the Stargate.


	2. Dead?

**Chapter Two - Dead?**

This is for Emma Kelly, who I don't see anymore, probably will never read this, but hey. You're cool and great and this is for you honey!

* * *

General Hammond looked down at the newest arrivals to the SGC. They looked so young, so innocent. However he had seen the Goa'uld use children as weapons before. He smiled absently as his mind wandered to Cassandra, a young alien girl who had survived a Goa'uld attack; only to be used as a weapon herself. But Dr Janet Fraiser had checked both girls and they seemed to be fine, they only had mild concussions; they would make a full recovery and posed no, obvious, threat.

"You made the right call, Colonel." He turned to Jack who had suddenly appeared at his side. "Who knows how they got there, but they obviously needed our help."

"Yeah." Jack grumbled. "Obviously."

"Something wrong Colonel?" Hammond regarded Jack.

"Not really Sir." Jack mumbled truthfully. "Not anything I can put my finger on. I feel like I know them from somewhere. Something just doesn't feel right."

"Well Dr Fraiser has checked them both." Hammond continued to look at Jack. "She found nothing. I'm sure we'll figure out where they came from. Don't worry so much Colonel."

With that Hammond turned and left Jack alone with the girls in the infirmary. He walked over to the taller girl's bed and sat down next to her. She looked so familiar it was scary, but he couldn't work out who she looked like, or where he'd seen her before. Sure she looked like a mini version of Daniel, with her bobbed blonde hair and glasses, but that wasn't it; Jack felt sure he knew her from somewhere. He had a terrible feeling that if Daniel was right, and these girls were from an alternate universe, they were going to stir up a lot of trouble. A small cough behind him made him turn round.

"Do you know her?" Daniel stood there, looking very uncomfortable.

"Nope." Jack shook his head. "Do you?"

"No." Daniel sighed. "I wish I did, but the weird thing is she looks so familiar."

"Yeah I know." Jack nodded. "I feel like I've met her before."

"I feel like I've seen her before." Daniel crouched down next to Jack. "But not met. It's a strange feeling."

"It's a bad feeling." Jack looked at Daniel. Daniel nodded.

* * *

The two men sat in silence with the girls for hours. Just watching for any signs of life, but there was nothing. They watched the nurse make her rounds and all the time they tried to work out how they knew them. Jack was tired, he needed to sleep. He looked over at Daniel who was staring at the tall girl again. 

"I know." Daniel turned round suddenly.

"What?" Jack staggered over, he was so tired; he didn't have time for Daniel's ramblings.

"I know how I know them." Daniel shook his head. "I know."

"How?" Jack put his hand on Daniel's shoulder, he was obviously upset, but why?

"A couple of months ago, when Teal'c, Sam and I came over to your place to watch the hockey..." Daniel started.

"Yeah."

"...and a news announcement cut in and you got mad."

"Daniel." Jack almost shouted. "Get on with it."

"Well, it was about a college in England being bombed. It showed some pictures of the bomb victims, of the students, before they died, in family photos."

"Daniel. Where are you going with this?" Jack didn't like what he was hearing.

"It showed their pictures Jack, I remember. They're dead." Tears began to well up in Daniel's eyes.

"What?" Jack cried out. "That can't be right."

"It is, Sir." Sam's voice came from the doorway. The two men spun round to face her.

"Carter?"

"I took a digital picture of them and ran it through the Internet search engine on my computer." Sam stepped in and held out a few pieces of paper. "This is what I printed out. It's a news report about the bombing of Hopwood Hall College in England. Hundreds of students died because no warning was given."

"Hundreds." Daniel murmured.

"Including these two." Sam pointed at the two girls lay in the infirmary. "They're dead Sir. They died two months ago when the room under their classroom exploded."

"What!" Jack grabbed the print off out of Sam's hand. The two girl's faces stared up at him from the page, his blood ran cold.

"I guess they are from an alternate reality." Daniel looked down at the girl in the bed nearest to him.

"I guess so." Sam nodded as Jack poured over the news report.

"Kerry-Anne Ramsey and Emma Kalmin." Jack said suddenly.

"What?" Daniel turned to him.

"Kerry-Anne Ramsey." Jack pointed to the taller blonde girl, the Daniel look-a-like. "She preferred to be called Kerry and liked Star Trek, horror movies and writing. And Emma Kalmin." He pointed to Kerry's red haired companion. "She liked science fiction, music and horse riding."

"How do you know?" Daniel tired to grab the report from Jack, but Jack pulled it away and kept reading.

"There are web sites devoted to these girls from friends and family to who wanted the world to remember their little girls." Jack's voice sounded choked up. "God damn it, I knew something bad like this was going to turn up."

"Well, dead or not in this world Sir." Sam stepped forward. "They're here and alive and we have to help them get home."

"I'll, err, I'll go and set up a meeting with Hammond for the morning." Jack seemed distracted, still reading the report as he left the room. "I'll keep you informed."

With that Jack left, leaving Daniel and Sam staring at each other.

* * *

The briefing room was much large than it looked on screen. Emma was in awe as Jack herded her into the room. The large polished wood table took up the most space, it's dark surface drawing the eye and demanding attention. The large window overlooking the gate room seemed to take up most of the wall, allowing a good view of the Stargate. 

Eight chairs circled the table, with bodies filling six of them. Emma sat down next to Jack, leaving one chair at the end of the table free. Opposite the empty chair at the head of the large table sat General Hammond, his fingers laced together in front of him, carefully thinking how he was going to approach this meeting.

To his left sat Jack and to his right Daniel, neither of them looking particularly happy; with agitated looks on their faces. Next to Jack sat a small red haired girl, she didn't looked worried or bothered by her situation, she seemed more interested in looking around the room than finding her way home. That, he had been told, was Emma Kalmin. A worried looking blonde sat next to Emma, shuffling her papers and notes around the desk and sighing quietly, Sam didn't seem to be looking her best either, this morning.

Hammond turned to his right to survey the rest of this meeting's attendants, they seemed no calmer than the senior members of SG-1. Across from Sam sat the large Jaffa Teal'c, a perplexed look on his usually emotionless face. And between Teal'c and Daniel was the taller of the two girls, the one who sat with her arms wrapped protectively round her, looking so much like Daniel, looking so scared and confused; that was Kerry-Anne, who preferred to be known as Kerry, Kerry Ramsey.

"What's the situation people?" Hammond finally spoke.

"Well Sir." Sam looked up from her notes. "We believe that the vortex encountered on P3J-769 was a naturally occurring vortex linking two different dimensions."

"I see." Hammond nodded, he had learned to take things in his stride while commanding at the SGC. Strange things happened here and not all of them made sense to him, but it was all part of working with space, time and wormholes; like the Stargate. "But these two girls are from Earth, we have records of their counterparts here on this planet. How can a vortex on another world link to our planet?"

"Well, Sir." Sam began. "I think that the vortex is linked to the Stargate somehow. I believe that whatever the point of origin, the vortex jumps to that worlds alternate state."

"So it jumped to Earth because we were dialling from there, here?" Daniel cocked his head.

"Exactly." Sam nodded. "If we had dialled from, say, Chulak, we would have encountered their alternate reality."

"I see." Hammond repeated.

"And when the Stargate is not in use?" Jack looked over at Sam, Sam smiled.

"The vortex jumps back to P3J-769's alternate reality." Sam finished her explanation, and looked around the room. Everyone was nodding, accepting the theory; including the two girls.

"So we can get them back?" Jack referred to the girls but continued to look at Sam. "Just by dialling up and sending them back through?"

"I think so." Sam nodded slowly. "But I'd like to run more tests first to see if it's safe." She turned to Hammond. "Sir, permission to lead a physics team to P3J-769 to run further tests on the AR vortex?"

"All right, but I want you to take Teal'c with you in case anyone else comes through. You can go at 11:00 hours. Dismissed." Hammond nodded to SG-1 and the girls, then left.

Teal'c also rose and started out of the room, followed by Sam.

"AR vortex?" Jack called to Sam.

"Yes Sir." Sam almost giggled. "It's what Dr. Wardle and I have named the vortex. AR stands for Alternate Reality."

"I like mine better." Daniel half whispered to Jack. "The 'reel of light', sounds nicer."

"Less clinical." Kerry spoke softly, but it still made Jack and Daniel jump. Jack looked up quickly to see how Teal'c and Sam had reacted, but they had gone, perhaps before Kerry had spoken.

"Yeah." Daniel smiled.

"Yep, more mystical too." Emma chipped in. Jack's head spun to look at her.

"Yeah, I guess." Daniel continued to smile at Kerry. Kerry smiled back.

"Can I ask you two a few questions?" Emma grinned at Jack.

"What sort of questions?" Jack sat back down in his chair.

"Just a few questions about where we are." Emma's grin dissolved into a sweet smile. "Please?"

Jack threw his hands in the air. "Shoot!"

"Right." Emma nodded to Kerry. "Well, Teal'c hasn't got his face thing and Daniel still has long hair so we're in one or two."

"Err?" Daniel put his hand up to get Emma's attention. "What's Teal'c's face thing? I still have long hair? Can I just ask...?"

"What the hell you're talking about?" Jack cut in and finished Daniel's sentence. "What's one or two?"

"Err, well you see." Kerry grabbed Jack's attention. "In our reality, you're not real."

"What?" Jack cried.

"You're a TV show." Emma smiled at Jack and nodded. "A good one."

"And we're just trying to work out where in the series we are." Kerry looked at Daniel, whose jaw was hanging somewhere near his knees. "We think we're in season one or two."

"How many seasons have we been running for?" Daniel's eyes met Kerry's.

"Well when we left you were in season four." Kerry tried to smile, but failed in the final attempt.

"A TV show?" Jack still hadn't grasped the idea. "We're a TV show to you?"

"Yep." Emma nodded.

"What was the last significant thing that happened to you?" Kerry turned to Jack.

"Significant thing?" Jack glared at her. "We're a TV show, you watch us, shouldn't you know?"

"Well for example have you met the Nox?" Kerry glared back.

"Yep." Jack nodded, still angry.

"Has Apophis attacked Earth with two big bugger ships?" Emma asked.

"Yep. Kicked his ass."

"OK." Kerry nodded to Emma. "Err, have you ever heard of the Tok'ra?"

"Yes," Daniel beat Jack in answering the question. "Captain Carter was possessed by a Tok'ra."

"Captain Carter?" Emma looked at Daniel. "Right, that helps us."

"Have you met Thor?" Kerry turned to Daniel again.

"No." Daniel shook his head. "We encountered Thor's hammer, but we had to destroy it. We've never met Thor himself."

"Do we get to?" Jack cut in.

"Just a minute." Kerry put her hand up to cut Jack off. "Err..."

"Been in any mines recently?" Emma tapped Jack on the shoulder.

"What?"

"Mines? Big dirty places, you dig in them." Emma smiled. "Have you been in any?"

"No, not recently. I'm thinking of going to a mine next summer, I hear they're nice then." Jack shook his head. "Why?"

Kerry cut in again. "Err, have you met the Keeper?"

"Yes. The guy who ran the whole artificial world." Jack snapped. "Now will you tell me where you are going with these damn questions?"

"We're between 'The Gamekeeper' and 'Need'." Emma whispered to Kerry. Kerry nodded numbly, she seemed to be staring at something, out of the large window behind Emma. Emma looked at Daniel, he was looking too; Emma slowly turned.

A wormhole was open at the Stargate, a huge purple swirl of energy. However Emma didn't recall hearing the gate dial in, or hearing the sirens of the TV show. Suddenly the sirens in question kicked in, and Jack spun to face the gate.

"What the hell!"

* * *

"That's the AR vortex from P3J-769!" Sam almost shouted as she stood in the gate room. 

"It seems that it has somehow linked to Earth." Even Teal'c sounded perturbed by this occurrence.

"But how?" Sam cried. "It shouldn't be able to do that."

"Perhaps it's not linked to Earth, but to the two girls." One of the other scientists, Dr. Eugene Wardle, piped up. "They came through it, maybe they aren't meant to be here."

Sam turned to the tall man, with short greying hair, to her right. "Perhaps." She muttered.

"Carter!" Jack's voice came over the speaker system. "What's happening?"

"I'm not sure, Sir!" Sam called back. "I think the AR vortex may be linked to Earth some how."

Eugene made a small, disapproving noise and walked away.

"How?" Jack called again.

"Not sure, Sir!" Sam shouted back.

"Not what I want to hear, Captain!" Jack shouted into the small microphone.

Sam looked up at the small window of the command room, Jack glared down at the gate. To his left a young, panicking Airman tapped furiously at the computer keyboard. To Jack's right stood Daniel, his arms wrapped around his body, a frown on his young face.

"Jack, shouldn't we tell Kerry and Emma they're in danger?" Daniel almost whispered to Jack.

"Nope." Jack shook his head.

Daniel paused, waiting for Jack to finish his explanation, but when Jack didn't continue, Daniel added. "Why?"

"We don't know if they are in danger yet Danny boy." Jack sighed. "No point in scaring them."

"Oh." Daniel nodded. A good reason. There was no use scaring the two young women unless they were in real danger. Daniel's frown deepened as he remembered the questions the girls had asked; they knew a lot. More than he did. They thought of his life as a TV show, and they knew more about his future than anyone. Perhaps they knew where Sha're was, perhaps they knew her fate.

"I'm, err, I'm going to go and stay with them so they don't get worried." Daniel lied to Jack and started out of the room.

"Danny." Jack's voice held a warning. "Don't tell them anything."

"I won't." Daniel shook his head. "I'll just stay with them."

* * *

Daniel walked up to the briefing room quite quickly, he wanted to get there are soon as possible so he could question them, but also a small part of him wanted this to be over as quickly as possible. He hated disobeying Jack, it made his stomach feel heavy and basically made him feel like crap. Jack was his best friend, if he knew what Daniel was about to do he'd go nuts. Daniel really did care what Jack thought of him, and he hated the idea of Jack thinking he was a liar. 

However, he hated the idea of his beloved Sha're being a Goa'uld host even more. Her once beautifully deep brown eyes were now nothing more than shallow pools of glowing white hatred, as were her brother's, Skaa'ra.

Daniel gave an involuntarily shudder as he remembered the last time he had seen Skaa'ra, Jack had been forced to shoot him as he attacked Daniel with his deadly ribbon device. He could remember seeing Skaa'ra falling away from him even through the pain the device had caused, he had tried to call out to say he would be fine; to say he forgave Skaa'ra. Except that his mouth and vocal chords had refused to work and all he could do was fall back.

But Skaa'ra and Sha're were alive, Daniel knew it; he just didn't know where they were. But he did know how he could find out.

"Well hello, merry sunshine." Kerry smiled as Daniel finally plucked up the courage to enter the room he had so quickly reached.

"Hiya Space Monkey!" Emma grinned. Daniel winced as Emma used a nickname that Jack had given him, it was sort of a private name. It didn't feel right that Emma should use it, even though she felt like she knew Daniel, he didn't feel as though he knew her.

He didn't really trust Emma, but Kerry - Kerry was a different matter. There was something about her shy, nervous exterior that Daniel identified with. He could almost see himself in her, eyes hidden by glasses and masses of hair. Even the way she held herself protectively reminded Daniel of himself.

Kerry noticed Daniel staring at her and smiled. "Hi Daniel."

"Hi." Daniel smiled weakly back.

"What's happening?" Kerry turned and started to frown at the window displaying the Stargate. "It's never done that before."

"No." Daniel shook his head. "But it's nothing that Captain Carter can't handle, don't worry."

"I'm not worried." Emma walked over to Daniel. "I've just been through an alternate reality vortex, and lived! Why should I worry about this?"

"Mmm. Why indeed." Was Daniel's response. His arms wrapped protectively round himself, he took a deep breath. "I was actually wondering if I could talk to you two." He smiled as sweetly as he could.

"Oh." Kerry was caught off guard. "OK."

"Yep, I'm game." Emma sauntered over to a chair and sat down.

"What did you want to talk to us about?" Kerry sat down next to Emma. Daniel stood over them, his back to the large window, arms still wrapped around him.

"He wants to know about Sha're." Emma's grin disappeared to be replaced with a kind smile. "Don't you?"

Daniel shifted, shocked that Emma could read him so easily. "Err, well, yes." He admitted.

"Can we tell him?" Kerry turned to Emma.

"I don't know." Emma shrugged. "I mean, we've already altered things by being here."

"So everything that you know or have seen could be altered?" Daniel caught on to Emma's theory.

"Yep, that's it." Emma nodded. "We could tell you what happened to Sha're in our version of your world, but it might not happen here."

"I'd like to know." Daniel pleaded. "Please, she's my wife. I want to know if I have a chance of finding her."

"I know you want her back Daniel." Emma's voice softened. "But are you prepared for what we might tell you? Are you sure you want to hear this?" Daniel nodded numbly.

"Yes." He whispered. "Please I need to know. I might be able to..."

"Use the information we give you to find her?" Kerry cut Daniel off, he nodded again.

Kerry nodded and moved up one seat to let Daniel sit, cautiously, next to Emma.

"Are you ready?" Emma leaned forward.

"I think so." Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose.

"I'm just going to tell you what I know and then you can ask questions later. OK?" Emma put out her hand and placed it on Daniel's. He jumped and looked down at it.

"OK." He almost squeaked.

"Right." Emma took a deep breath. "Soon, maybe a few weeks or months away you'll go back to Abydos because it's been one year since you left."

"That's right." Daniel gasped. Emma really had watched everything that had happened to them. "I promised..."

"Sha're's father, Kasuf, I know." Emma cut it. "You went and found Sha're." Emma suddenly switched to the past tense. Not many people would have noticed Emma's change, but Dr Daniel Jackson the linguist did. He leaned forward, still very much aware of Emma's hand on his. Emma continued.

"Sha're was very pregnant with Apophis' child. She was Sha're when you found her, but when she gave birth she was Amaunet again. She left with Apophis and you gave the child to Kasuf, and told him to hide him. Anyway, some time after that Amaunet attacked Abydos and took the child. SG-1 went and she tried to kill you with the ribbon thingy. Teal'c shot her and she died. But, before she died, Sha're sent a message down the ribbon thingy and told you to find and protect the child she had with Apophis."

Emma sighed as she finished, out of breath. She looked up and Daniel. He was very pale, a slight sweat had broken out on his forehead and he was shaking, a lot.

"Daniel?" Kerry asked quietly. He turned slowly to face her. "Do you have any questions?"

Daniel's shocked expression suddenly turned to one of anger. He yanked his hand out of Emma's grip, and stood up.

"Questions!" He shouted into Kerry's face. "I've just been told that my wife is having a Goa'uld's baby and then she'll be killed by one of my closest friends!"

"It's like I said though!" Emma stood up and tried to look Daniel in the eyes. "You don't just have to accept it like that. Because we're here, you know now, and you can go to Abydos and get Sha're before she has the baby."

"No!" Daniel screamed. "No I can't. Because the Abydos gate is blocked! I can't get to her until it's opened from their side. And then it's like you told me, it's too late."

"Well, Sha're had to get there." Kerry whispered quietly, still shaken from Daniel's shouting. "Perhaps the gate is all right open."

"You could send a probe through." Emma waved her hand at Daniel. "Now you know, you can change things."

Daniel just stood there looking at them. Tears filling up his large blue eyes, his cheeks red from shouting. He nodded and slumped to the floor, finally giving in to the tears stinging his eyes.

Emma sat back down, staring at the grown man sobbing on the floor. She turned to Kerry, she had her head on the table. Loud sobs could also be heard coming from her, the shock of coming through the vortex had hit, along with the emotions flying round the room; it had been too much for her.

"Bloody hell." Emma whispered.


	3. Emma Takes Charge

**Chapter Three - Emma Takes Charge**

This chapter is for my little sister Sophie, known as Small Thing. I hope you get well soon.

* * *

Jack sat on the hard chair staring at Daniel, who lay crying on the bed. He had told Jack about his talk with Emma, and while Jack's first reaction had been to be furious, he first had to calm Daniel down from his hysterical crying fit he had got himself into. It had been over an hour and Daniel was just calming down. The sobs had long since subsided and now only Daniel's heavy breathing sounded in the otherwise silent room. Jack shifted in his chair.

"Finished?" Jack tried to keep his voice even, but a small crackle of impatience slipped through.

"I'm sorry." Daniel spluttered for the hundredth time. "I know I shouldn't have..."

"No, you shouldn't have." Jack almost spat at Daniel, catching himself in time. "You should have waited until either me or Hammond wanted to talk to them. Then you could have asked all the questions you wanted. But no!" Jack waved his arms in the air. "You had to go and ask them about Sha're, upset one of them, and reduce yourself to this." Jack motioned to the mirror in the corner of Daniel's quarters. Daniel sat up in the bed and looked over at it. He looked terrible, his long blonde hair was matted with sweat. His blue eyes were red and puffy from crying and his cheeks looked so red Daniel looked like he'd run a marathon. His glasses sat, crooked, on his face; leaving red marks where Daniel had lay on them.

"I'm sorry." Daniel said again.

"Danny." Jack stood up, walked over to the bed and sat down next to Daniel. "If I wasn't your friend I'd kick your ass."

"But?" Daniel asked hopefully.

"But," Jack started. "I am. So I understand how much Sha're means to you. I understand why you did it, it doesn't make it right Space Monkey, but I understand."

Daniel smiled at Jack, who rolled his eyes and ruffled Daniel's hair.

"Come on." Jack stood up again. "You have to say a big sorry to..." Jack trailed off.

"What?" Daniel rolled off the bed.

"Nothing?"

"Jack?"

"What?"

"What is it? What's wrong?" Daniel cocked his head.

"Nothing's wrong." Jack lied.

"Is so."

"Is not."

"Is so."

"Is not."

"Is so."

"Is not Daniel."

"Is so, Jack. Tell me."

"It's just, well." Jack started.

"Kerry?"

"Yeah. She, well, she looks so much like my Sara used to when she was younger." Jack admitted. "Kinda freaks me out."

"You know what freaks me out?" Daniel started to smile again.

"What?"

"She's so much like me."

"Yeah I noticed that too." Jack started to smile, then grin. "A female Space Monkey. Heh, the female of the species."

Daniel laughed. "That's not funny."

"Sure it is." Jack chuckled to himself, steering Daniel out of the door and down the corridor.

"Was she really upset Jack?" Daniel almost whispered in Jack's ear.

"Dunno." Jack shrugged. "Carter said she was crying, but Emma was just pissed at you so I'd say you'd better grovel."

"Oh."

"Do you care?"

"Jack! Of course." Daniel was shocked. "I mean it's not their fault they're here. They didn't ask to live in a universe where we're a TV show."

"Yeah I guess." Jack ushered Daniel into the elevator. "A TV show, wow. Do you think we're sex symbols Daniel?" Jack grinned.

Daniel started to laugh. "Yeah, of course we are. I bet we have millions of web pages just for us two."

"Yeah." Jack leaned against the elevator wall. "You should have seen Hammond's face when I told him."

"What did he say?" Daniel grinned.

"He said..." The elevator doors opened, cutting Jack off.

"What?" Daniel leaned forward.

"We're almost there." Jack said soberly. "Get ready."

Daniel nodded. They turned the corner to come face to face with Teal'c.

"O'Neill." The large Jaffa nodded. "Captain Carter is inside with Kerry Ramsey."

"Where's Emma?" Daniel asked.

"She is speaking with General Hammond." Teal'c spoke slowly and calmly. "She expresses concern that Colonel Mayborne may wish to..."

"Take them." Jack finished Teal'c's sentence. "Damn, I never thought of that!"

"Well the General won't let that happen, will he? Jack?" Daniel looked hopefully at Jack. Jack said nothing.

"Sir." Sam appeared in the doorway. "Daniel? Are you guys coming in?"

"Yeah, come on Daniel." Jack pushed Daniel inside the guest quarters assigned to Kerry.

They were small and quite dark. A single cot bed was pushed against the wall to the right of the door, next to it was a small bedside table. Across the room on the left hand wall was a desk, chair and TV stand, complete with TV and VCR. On the table was a lamp, and computer terminal. On the far wall was a dressing table with drawers for clothes and belongings. Two picture hung on separate walls, adding a small amount of colour to the otherwise grey room. One, a painting of a galaxy, hung over the bed; the other, a photograph of a snow covered mountain, hung over the desk.

Kerry sat on the bed staring at the TV, whatever channel it was, they were covering a parade of some sort and the young woman seemed entranced by the goings on. Daniel stumbled into the room, followed by Jack, Sam and Teal'c.

"Hi." Kerry waved at them without looking from the TV.

"Hi." Daniel smiled and walked over to the bed. He sat down just behind Kerry. "Err, Kerry?"

"I know." Kerry turned to Daniel and smiled. "It's OK."

"Are you sure?" Daniel leaned forward.

"Look Danny, she said it's OK. You got off lightly." Jack smirked at Daniel. He grabbed the chair from the desk and dragged it over to the bed next to Kerry. "Whatya watching?"

"We were watching a ritual call the Thanksgiving parade O'Neill." Teal'c strode over.

"Cool." Jack turned to the TV and stared.

"What is the purpose of this ritual O'Neill?" Teal'c stood over Jack.

"Well, it's to give thanks for everything we have." Jack looked up at the huge black man, then turning to Kerry. "Right?"

"Don't ask me." She shrugged. "We don't have Thanksgiving in England, it's an American thing."

Jack opened his mouth to comment when Lieutenant Graham Simmons ran in. His pale skin was flushed with running; he doesn't look much better than Daniel thought Jack. The young Lieutenant knocked cautiously on the door and then walked straight up to Jack.

"Colonel." Graham started. "General Hammond wants to see you in his office right away."

"And he told you to run down here?" Jack turned his head to look at Graham. "Run being the word?"

"Yes Sir."

"Any idea what it's about?" Jack stared up at Graham, who stared back at the Colonel like a rabbit in the headlights of a car.

"Err, well Ssir." Graham stuttered. "He said something about Miss Kalmin wanting to talk to both of you."

"I'm coming." Jack muttered, standing up. "Tell him I'm on my way." He glanced down at Kerry, thinking for a second, of taking her with him; then thinking better of it. He didn't want to worry her with talk of Mayborne or his department getting his hands on her. Jack shuddered inwardly as the thought of the NID interrogating Kerry passed through his head. He took a deep breath and turned back to Graham. "You're dismissed."

Graham nodded and tore out the door.

"Something's wrong." Daniel muttered to Jack. Jack glared at him as Kerry looked round.

"I'm going to go now." Jack hissed at Daniel. "I'll be back soon children, now play nice. Uncle Teal'c is in charge till I get back." Jack waved as he left the room.

"What's going on with the Stargate?" Kerry looked over to Sam.

"Oh." Sam smiled, caught off guard. "Well, we managed to shut it down by disconnecting the conductors. The wormhole disengaged but we've closed the iris just in case."

"Oh." Kerry nodded. "So, what made it do that?"

"Well, I'm not 100 sure, but I thinks it's part of what the vortex is meant to do." Sam leaned forward. "I think, well, we think that it connects to the Stargate to allow people that go through to get home. It was probably linked back to your Earth at the same time."

"Oh." Kerry repeated. "So, it's OK?"

Sam smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it's OK."

"Err, Sam?" Daniel frowned. "You said you think it linked to Kerry's reality as well?"

"Yeah."

"Couldn't people have been sucked in like me and Emma?" Kerry looked from Sam to Daniel and back again.

"That's what I was going to ask." Daniel folded his arms. "People who were looking for Kerry and Emma."

"Oh God." Sam stood up. "I can't believe I didn't think of that. Damn!"

"We must inform General Hammond." Teal'c cocked his head.

"Wait!" Daniel cried. "What's to stop more people from getting 'sucked' through if we gate to P3J 769?"

Sam stopped in her tracks, she turned to Daniel, a look of horror on her face.

"You don't know do you?" Kerry stood up and walked over to Sam.

Sam shook her head. "This is like the chicken and the egg. We have to gate to P3J 769 in order to stop the vortex, but if we do, we'll open it."

"We can't win." Daniel shook his head. "How can we get there to send people back and shut it down, when gating there will open the wormhole and cause the problem we're trying to stop."

"We must still inform General Hammond." Teal'c stared at the door.

"Agreed." Kerry nodded and started out the door. Daniel and Sam stared at her. "The longer we wait the more people may be sucked through, so come on!"

"You're right." Daniel nodded, followed by Sam and together they all walked to General Hammond's office.

* * *

"Sir we can't let the NID get their hands on them!" Jack almost shouted at Hammond. "They'd, well, they'd..." 

"I know exactly what they'd do Colonel." Hammond cut in.

"So do I." Emma sat with her arms folded in front of her. "That's why you need to keep Mayborne away from us. Kerry most of all."

Jack nodded, then checked over Emma's sentence.

"Keep him away?" Jack cocked his head. "Like, you're not going back, keep him away?"

"That's right Colonel." Hammond cut in again. "Miss Kalmin and I have decided that it would be in both our best interests if she and Miss Ramsey were to stay here, in our reality."

"Sir?"

"They have information we could use."

"We can help you with information." Emma chipped in. "Also Kerry would love a chance to study Anthropology and Archaeology, Daniel could help her with that..."

"Wait." Jack cut in, putting his hands up to halt Emma's list. "I see that you two have already reached an agreement. Why am I here?"

"I want SG-1 to work very closely with them." Hammond smiled. "I also want SG-1 to be responsible for their safety until I've talked to the President about Colonel Mayborne."

"Sir..." Jack began to protest.

"No argument Colonel." Hammond stopped smiling. "It took a long time for Miss Kalmin, the President and myself to come to this decision. It's in both our best interests."

"Yes Sir." Jack nodded and then thought for a second. "Sir?"

"Yes Colonel?"

"Where would Miss Kalmin and Miss Ramsey live?"

"On the base to start with until we could acquire other accommodations." Hammond cocked his head. "Why?"

"Well Sir." Jack squinted at Emma. "They're dead, in this reality. They have been on the news, in newspapers and on the Internet Sir. They can't really just go walking around downtown. Forget Elvis sighting Sir, we'd have to deal with very real Emma Kalmin sightings."

"I understand your concern Colonel..." Hammond started.

"I don't think you do Sir." Jack cut in, making Hammond scowl. "They would be virtual prisoners in the SGC."

"Teal'c goes out." Emma glared at Jack.

"Teal'c's not dead and doesn't have web sites in his memory." Jack spat back.

"Fine." Emma hissed. "Be like that!"

A small knock sounded on Hammond's door, breaking the silence in the frustrated room. Sam poked her head around the door. Hammond sighed, he would have to thank her for that timely interruption later.

"Sirs?" She looked worried, not a good sign. "Can we talk to you?"

"Come on in Captain." Hammond motioned for Sam and her party to come in. She entered the room followed by Daniel, Kerry and Teal'c; they stood behind Jack.

Sam took a deep breath. "We have a problem Sir."

"Well sit down Captain." Hammond almost shouted, this day was trying his patience. "What's the problem?"

"Well Sir." Sam began. "We believe that when the AR vortex linked to our gate it was also linked to the reality that Kerry comes from."

"And me." Emma murmured just loud enough for warrant a cold glare from Jack.

"So?" Hammond left the question open to Sam.

"So Sir, I think that other people may have be brought through into our reality."

"Damn." Jack shook his head. "General, request permission to go back to 769er and shut that damn thing down."

Hammond opened his mouth to speak when Sam cut in.

"Colonel that's what the problem is."

"Oh?" Jack folded his arms in front of him.

"If you go there you'll open the vortex again." Kerry stepped forward, producing a shocked look from Hammond and an uncomfortable glance from Jack. "The only way to shut that vortex down would be go destroy the Stargate on that planet."

"So we send a bomb through, big deal." Jack shrugged, turning away from Kerry.

"It is a big deal." Kerry sounded annoyed. "People might be on that planet from my reality. You can't just blow them up."

"What's the alternative?" Hammond leaned forward on his desk.

"Someone has to go there, send the people back and destroy the Stargate." Sam put a hand on Kerry's shoulder. "That's the solution we came up with."

"No way." Jack shook his head. "Whoever went would be trapped."

"No Jack." Daniel stepped forward this time. "Whoever went through would be dead. We'd have to blow up the whole area around the Stargate."

"I'm not going to order someone to go on a suicide mission." Hammond shook his head.

"Then ask for a volunteer." Emma suggested.

"Who'd volunteer to die?" Kerry shrugged at Emma. "I wouldn't, would you?"

"They do not need to die." Teal'c said suddenly, catching everyone off guard.

"Teal'c?" Jack looked up at the huge Jaffa.

"Could the volunteer not go through the open vortex into the alternate reality?"

"That's a good point Teal'c." Sam pointed a finger at him.

"So instead of asking someone to die, we're going to ask someone to live in a reality where they're a TV character." Jack stood up and shouted. "For cryin' out loud Sir, we can't do that."

"Colonel O'Neill!" Hammond stood up. "I'll speak to the President about this new situation, in the meantime Colonel I want to you brief SG-1 on your new assignment. Dismissed."

"Yes Sir." Jack saluted and waved his team out of the room. "Come on ladies," he called to Kerry and Emma. "we've got a busy day ahead."

* * *

Daniel sat in his office staring at his work. He had been looking at the same three words for the past hour and still had no idea what they meant. Someone passing the room may have been forgiven for thinking that Daniel was studying another language, but they would have been wrong. The book lay on Daniel's desk was in English, it was his book; his journal. Daniel smiled as he remembered trying to tell Jack that a journal was not the same as a diary, but it had been in vain; Jack had laughed and called it a diary all the same. Daniel looked over the three words again. 

_'Kerry and Emma.'_

Finally the rest of what he had scribbled down came into view, he had come from the briefing with Jack feeling strange and had decided to write it all down.

_'Jack says that Kerry and Emma are going to stay in our reality. Sam seems pleased as she gets on well with Kerry, Teal'c quite likes Kerry too so he doesn't have a problem. I'm a bit worried about Jack though, he keeps giving Kerry strange looks, I think he either really dislikes her or he has a crush on her, either way, trouble._

_I know he doesn't like Emma, I'm not sure if I, or any of the others do either. I mean, she's seems nice enough but she's what I call 'deadly honest'. She just says what she means, like when she was telling me about Sha're, I can't believe she just blurted it out like that. Still at least I know now. Life with them is going to be interesting anyway. Emma is certainly interesting, bossy, but interesting._

_Tomorrow I'll show Kerry and Emma...'_

He stopped reading and looked up at the shadow in his doorway. He hadn't even heard footsteps or the gentle tap on the door; it had only been the harsh cough which had finally disturbed him.

"Mind if I come in Space Monkey?"

"No, come in." Daniel motioned to the seat next to him.

"Thanks." Jack stumbled into the room and plonked himself on the seat. "Weird huh?"

"Sorry?"

"It's going to be weird having them around."

"Yeah."

"Different."

"Yeah."

"Hammond told you yet?"

"Told me what?" Daniel turned on his stool to look at Jack.

"He ordered for a probe to be sent to Abydos. To see if the gate was open yet."

"And?" Daniel leaned forward.

Jack shook his head and sighed. "Sorry Daniel."

With a roar Daniel stood up and walked across the room. Jack heard an almighty thud, as Daniel's fist connected with the bench, he winced as Daniel threw book after book onto the floor.

"Danny..." Jack started.

"Just leave me alone Jack." Daniel managed between the sobs, the tears already flowing down his cheeks already. "I knew it wouldn't work, I knew it. I should never had got my hopes up."

"Danny..." Jack tried again.

"There's nothing you can say Jack." Daniel half growled, half cried. "My wife is there now, pregnant with a Goa'uld's baby and I can't get to her. What is there to say?"

"We'll keep trying Danny." Jack finally got out. He stood and walked slowly over to his young friend. Pulling him into a tight hug Jack rubbed Daniel's back. "We'll keep trying, I promise."

"Until when?" Daniel sobbed. "Hammond will only send so many probes through. Then what?"

"Maybe some of the kids have seen the probe and are moving the rocks now." Jack leaned back to look at Daniel's, wet face. "Don't give up Danny. Don't you dare give up."

* * *

"So let me get this straight." Eugene Wardle folded his arms and cocked his head at Hammond. "You want to know if any of us want to volunteer to go to P3J 769, blow up the Stargate and then go and live in an alternate reality?" 

"Yes, that's about it." Hammond leaned back in his chair, he didn't have time for Eugene Wardle to start on one of his sarcastic turns.

"Right." Eugene said slowly. "I just wanted to know I was getting it right before I said..."

"Do we have any volunteers?" Hammond cut in to address the table of scientists and SG teams. "Anyone?"

"I'll do it." Eugene put his hand up. All eyes were on him, some of the soldiers rolled their eyes; first rule of being one of the boys - never volunteer.

"You?" Hammond almost laughed. Eugene Wardle was one of the weakest links he had ever seen, and he had to be the biggest geek that had ever existed.

"Yes me." Eugene nodded, the soldiers rolled their eyes again; he wasn't joking. "I can learn to set the bomb and I'm fascinated by this other reality. I want to see it."

"But you won't be coming back." Hammond said slowly, emphasising every word. "You'd be trapped there."

"I know." Eugene nodded again.

"So you understand the risk?" Hammond had to make sure.

"I do." Eugene smiled at Hammond. "Look you need someone to do this and I'm volunteering. Why do you have such a problem?"

Hammond shifted in his seat. "I don't have a problem, but I have to make sure you know what you're getting into."

"Well, I know."

"Right." Hammond stood up, all the soldiers rose from their seats. "I'll meet with Dr Wardle later today. The rest of you, dismissed."

* * *

"Eugene?" 

"Yep."

"Eugene Wardle?" Sam blinked is disbelief.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"That's what Hammond said." Jack grinned at Sam. "SG-1 are to take Dr. Eugene to P3J 769 and assist him."

"Assist him how Jack?" Daniel asked quietly.

"Help him get any people who have been sucked through to get home and to help him set the charges." Jack leaned back in his chair. "Then we go home, and he goes through the swirly thing."

"Reel of light." Daniel corrected Jack.

"AR vortex." Sam corrected Daniel.

"And Kerry and Emma are definitely staying here?" Sam wanted all the information she could get.

"Yep." Jack nodded. As Sam opened her mouth to comment he cut in. "I know, I know. It's not what I would have done either, but Hammond thinks it's a good idea and so does the President."

"What about Mayborne?" Daniel closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"He's not coming near." Jack shrugged. "Not interest Hammond said. Apparently he said since they only have knowledge of SG-1 they're no use to him."

"Is that not good O'Neill?" Teal'c cocked his head.

"Well, yeah." Jack nodded slowly. "But I wouldn't trust Mayborne as far as I could throw him."

"So what now?" Daniel opened his eyes again.

"Well, we're waiting for Hammond to give the go ahead." Jack put his fists either side of his head, rubbing them against his temples. "He's talking to Emma again."

"Wow." Sam smiled. "She really likes to take charge."

"Well, if you think about it she knows just as much or even more about the SGC than even we do." Daniel shrugged. "I'm sure she just wants to help."

"Hmmm." Jack groaned. "Man, I'm tired."

"It's only fifteen thirty." Sam shook her head at her CO.

"Yeah, well, I didn't get much sleep last night." Jack grumbled.

"I know what you mean." Daniel sighed.

"Where is Kerry Ramsey?" Teal'c asked suddenly.

"She's gone back to watching her parade I think." Sam shrugged. "She's fine, a little concerned about the vortex, but she's OK."

"I believe I will go and sit with her." Teal'c rose and left the room in what seemed to be one movement.

"What's with him?" Jack half growled.

"I think he's worried about her being alone." Sam smiled up at Jack.

"She's not alone. Last time I looked in Graham Simmons was sat with her." Daniel mumbled.

"What!" Jack's head snapped round to face Daniel. "Why?"

"I guess to ask her questions." Daniel shrugged. "Like I did."

"What!" Jack stood up and started out of the room.

"Leave him Jack." Daniel called out. "If Kerry doesn't want to answer she won't. Besides Teal'c is there. Leave them."

"No, I don't think so. I'm going to go get him." Jack spat back.

"Come on Sir." Sam chipped in. "What harm can it do."

"Yeah Jack. Can you honestly say you haven't thought about going to either Kerry or Emma and asking them about your future?" Daniel looked over his glasses at Jack.

"No. Well, yeah, I have thought about it." Jack glared at his team mates. "But that's why they're staying. So we can ask them questions when we need to. Not all at once."

"I guess." Sam looked down at her hands. "But..."

"No. No buts." Jack started out of the door again.

* * *

"May I enter Kerry Ramsey?" Teal'c knocked lightly on Kerry's door. 

"Hi Teal'c." Kerry smiled. "Yeah, come in."

"Am I disturbing you?"

"No, I'm watching TV again." Kerry patted the bed next to her and watched as Teal'c sat down. "But there's nothing good on."

"It's all parades and news." Graham nodded and smiled at Teal'c.

"Where is Emma Kalmin?"

"Oh, she's talking to General Hammond." Graham stared at the TV.

"Something about going with SG-1 to close the reel of light" Kerry shook her head. "But I doubt he'll let us. I don't really want to go anyway."

"You are correct. General Hammond would not allow you to partake in this mission. It is too dangerous." Teal'c half smiled. "However you do have knowledge which could aid the mission."

"So Emma has a good argument." Kerry smiled at Teal'c as he nodded once.

"Lieutenant!" Jack came bursting through the door.

"O'Neill." Teal'c nodded.

"Sir?" Graham looked up, shocked by Jack's abrupt entrance.

"Come on Simmons." Jack avoided looking Kerry in the eye. "Let's leave Miss Ramsey to get some rest."

"I don't mind, really." Kerry smiled sweetly. Jack glared.

"I wish to stay O'Neill." Teal'c stood up.

"I'd like to stay too." Graham smiled at Kerry. "If Kerry doesn't mind."

"I don't care." Jack looked as if he were going to make a grab for Graham, but Teal'c stepped in from of him. "Come on Simmons."

Graham stood up and started to make his way over to Jack.

"Why may we not stay?" Teal'c enquired.

"How about if I come with you?" Kerry stood up and turned the TV off. Teal'c smiled and Jack rolled his eyes. "That way we can hang out with Colonel O'Neill keeping an eye on us."

"That would be acceptable." Teal'c offered a hand to Kerry. Graham nodded.

Kerry smiled at Teal'c and took his hand. "Lead on." She said.


	4. Goodbyes

**Chapter Four - Goodbyes**

Wow, what a long piece of writing, how did I ever manage to do any work while working on this?

The answer I didn't. Which is why I chose to quit my job before I was fired!!!

* * *

"SG-1 it has been decided that in the best interests of this mission Miss Kalmin will accompany you..." Hammond started the mission briefing, but Jack cut in.

"Why?"

"She will assist you should you encounter any persons from her reality." Hammond turned to Jack.

It had been three hours since Eugene Wardle had volunteered and Hammond had decided that SG-1 should be informed of the latest mission change.

Teal'c had spent his time with Kerry talking about his son Rya'c and what Kerry knew about his future. Kerry had replied truthfully, telling him that she knew nothing of Rya'c, which was probably a good thing, as it meant nothing had happened to him. Kerry had then sat captivated, along with Daniel, Graham and Sam, as Teal'c told an ancient Jaffa story.

Jack had sat back and watched as Kerry blended in with his team, as if she had always been there.

"And Kerry?" Sam asked.

"Miss Ramsey will be remaining in the SGC, she expressed no desire to go to the planet." Hammond's eyes glanced at Jack as he spoke.

"Miss Ramsey is clever." Jack remarked. "Miss Kalmin is not."

Hammond ignored him and continued.

"SG-1, you will proceed to P3J 769 where you will spilt into two teams. Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter, you will assist Dr. Wardle in placing C4 charges around and on the Stargate. This will, hopefully, destroy the gate and the surrounding area.

Dr. Jackson and Teal'c, you will assist Miss Kalmin in evacuating any persons from the other reality through the AR vortex." Hammond began the briefing again. "Do you have any questions?"

"No Sir." Jack shook his head, this was going to be a bad day.

"SG-1, Dr Wardle, Miss Kalmin," Hammond stood up. "You have a go."

* * *

The room was dark and silent. Only the swirling thing at the end of the room provided light, four figures on the floor began slowly to move.

"Stacy!" One of them cried out lifting her head to see and straining her eyes in the dark. "Where are you?"

"I'm here." The small, young voice of Stacy came from the floor beside the swirling light. "Where are we?"

"I don't know love, but stay close." A male voice suddenly came from beside the first. "We don't want anyone to get lost."

An American voice now joined the three English accents. "Yeah, but where the hell are we?"

"I don't know!" The male snapped at the female American voice. "But..." He trailed off.

"But?" The American asked, then stopped. She slowly followed the eyes of the other three to the other side of the room to the large ring. It was glowing. One small red triangle was lit, but then another lit up, then another. Soon the red 'markers' were lighting up all around the large ring.

"What is it?" The male whispered hoarsely.

"It can't be." Stacy started. "Irene, it's..."

"What!" The American woman cut her off. "What is it?"

"Go on Stacy." Irene put her arm around her student.

"But it can't be." Stacy shook her head. "That can't be right. It's not real!"

"What is it?" The American screamed again.

Stacy looked at her, almost as if she were in a trace. "It's a Stargate."

* * *

"SG-1 you have a go."" Hammond shouted into the small microphone.

"Come on kids." Jack smiled at his team. "Time to go."

Sam turned to face Emma. "Are you ready?"

Emma nodded, biting her lip. "Yep."

"Just hold onto me." Daniel suddenly appeared at her side and held out his hand. Emma smiled and took it.

"Go." Jack called from the event horizon. He quickly walked through it followed by Teal'c and Eugene.

"Come on." Sam smiled once more before disappearing.

"Just remember..." Daniel started.

"It'll be rough first time." Emma nodded. "I know."

"OK." Daniel smiled. Emma took a deep breath and stepped through the Stargate.

The contrast between the rushing light of the Stargate wormhole and the murky dark of the planet hit Emma instantly. Blinking, and clinging to Daniel, Emma stumbled forward.

Her stomach was churning as if she'd been on a dozen rollercosters, one after the other, but she'd known that her first conscious trip through the Stargate was going to be rough. She'd read all the books, seen the episodes but nothing had really prepared her for the waves of nausea passing over her.

She turned to face Daniel who, still holding her hand, smiled.

"It's OK." He quickly glanced at Jack. "It'll wear off soon."

Emma nodded and started to move away from the Stargate.

"I can't see anyone." Daniel squinted into the darkness. "Maybe no one came through."

Jack shook his head and motioned towards the DHD. Daniel peered over the top of the device to see a mass of red, brown hair.

"Hello?" Daniel half whispered. The hair jumped a mile and spun round. Daniel put his hands up. " Please, don't be afraid, we're here to help."

"Oh my God!" The hair whispered.

Daniel started to move round the DHD, he crouched down and smiled at the young girl.

"Hi." He smiled. "My name is Daniel."

"I'm Stacy." She half smiled. "You're from..."

"Yeah, we're from a TV show." Jack grumbled.

"Are you all right?" Sam smiled down at Stacy, who nodded.

"Hiya!" Emma bounded over to Stacy and grinned.

"Emma!" Stacy stood up and hugged her friend. "Where's Kerry? Is she OK?"

"She's back in the SGC." Emma nodded. "We're going to stay with them." She motioned to SG-1. Jack waved.

"Oh." Stacy looked at the floor. "So you're not coming back?"

Emma shook her head. "There's nothing for us back there. Look, I don't want to live and die in Rochdale. Plus we can help them."

Stacy nodded.

"But what do we tell your parents?" Irene stepped out of the shadows.

"Err, that's where I come in." Eugene stepped forward. "I will be going through with you to help explain."

"Look this is great, but we need to get started." Jack cut in.

"The Colonel's right." Sam nodded. "We need to set up the C4 before the AR vortex opens up again."

"Right." Eugene nodded.

Daniel turned to Stacy as Jack, Sam and Eugene set about placing the charges.

"Are there any others here?"

"Yes." Irene walked up to Daniel, staring at Teal'c the whole time.

"Irene met Daniel. Daniel, this is my tutor Irene." Emma smiled.

"Hi." Daniel smiled. "Who and where are they?"

"They were stood in front of the Stargate when it opened." Stacy shook her head and pointed to the smouldering shoes at the foot of the gate ramp. "They're dead aren't they?"

"They are." Teal'c stated.

"Vaporized by the unstable vortex that the wormholes produce?" Stacy turned back to Daniel.

Daniel was noticeably shocked by Stacy's knowledge of the Stargates. "Err, yeah. That's right."

"Oh my." Irene put her hand to her chest.

"What's going to happen?" Stacy turned to Daniel.

"We're planting charges to blow up the area around the Stargate so no one else will ever be brought here." Daniel smiled kindly. "You and Irene are going to go through with Dr Wardle."

"Go through where?" Irene leaned closer to Daniel. "Through that again." She pointed to the vortex.

"Well, yes." Daniel blinked.

"It's the only way you'll get home." Emma cut in.

"And you..." Irene started.

"Emma Kalmin is staying with us." Teal'c boomed at Irene. She jumped and looked at him.

"What?" Stacy looked at Emma. "Why?"

"I can help." Emma began her list. "I know things that could..."

"Daniel!" Jack called from the mouth of the vortex. "Start dialling up. Wardle, get these people back through!"

"Will do." Eugene nodded and moved towards Stacy and Irene. "Ladies, shall we?"

"Where are you taking us?" Irene cried out as Eugene took her hand.

"It's all right." He smiled. "I'm taking you back home. We just need to go through the vortex like Dr Jackson explained to you."

Irene swallowed and nodded. "Well, all right."

"Wait, what about Kerry?" Stacy called to SG-1. "Will she be safe with you? I know the sort of stuff that happens to you lot."

"Kerry Ramsey will be safe with us." Teal'c assured Stacy. "I give you my word."

Satisfied with Teal'c's word, Stacy started toward to vortex.

"Daniel, start dialling." Jack repeated his order and Daniel turned to the DHD and pushed one symbol. Suddenly the room began to shake.

"What the hell?" Emma cried out. "What's happening?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Jack started to look around almost frantically.

"It's the AR vortex." Sam pointed to the spinning light. "It's becoming unstable."

"Why?" Jack started to back away from the light.

"I don't know Sir." Sam shook her head. "But if they're going to go, it has to be now."

Eugene nodded and turned to Irene. "Ladies first." He motioned for her to jump through. A wave of nausea and fear passed over her wrinkled face.

Taking a deep breath, Irene jumped into the spinning light and disappeared. Stacy gasped.

"I can't!"

"You have to!" Jack shouted from the DHD. Stacy shook her head.

"I can't. I'm scared!" Stacy almost cried Emma walked cautiously over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right." She smiled. "You can go home."

The vortex gave another violent shudder and the lightening like streaks that shot through it began to grow faster.

"Sir. I really think we should get out of here now." Sam turned to Jack, who nodded his response.

Daniel turned to the DHD again and started pressing the cartouches he had pressed a hundred times before. The gate began to spin.

The vortex began to shake for fanatically now. Stacy turned to Emma.

"I'm going to miss..."

"Wardle!" Jack cried out as a 'bolt' of lightening struck Eugene square on the chest. He flew across the room and hit the far wall with a dull thud.

SG-1 rushed forward toward the fallen scientist.

"He is dead O'Neill." Teal'c looked down at the gaping hole in Eugene's chest.

"Oh, God damn it!" Jack shook his head.

"The gate must be affecting the reel some how." Daniel ran up behind Jack.

"Then go!" Stacy called over. "I'll jump now."

"Some on still has to stay to blow the place after the others have gone through the Stargate." Jack rubbed his eyes with one gloved hand. "And that would be me."

"No!" Emma shouted and ran up to Jack. "You're needed. You are really needed to make sure stuff happens like it's supposed to."

"So what do we do Miss Kalmin?" Jack waved his hands in the air. "Someone has to stay."

"Yep." Emma nodded. "So you'd better show me how to blow the charges."

"No!" Jack shook his head. "You're just a kid..."

"And when the C4 is ready I can go home." Emma cut him off. Her face grave, Jack had never seen her like this; Emma was serious. "Kerry doesn't know as much as I do, but she knows a fair bit. She can still help."

"I think she's right Sir." Sam called.

"You do? She is?" Daniel looked at Sam.

"She is Daniel Jackson." Teal'c nodded and raised an eyebrow. "If all that Emma Kalmin has seen is to come true SG-1 must stay together."

"Exactly." Sam nodded.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine." He handed Emma a small black box. "This is the detonator. You flip up this lid then press the red button. Once you've pressed it you'll have thirty seconds to get the hell out of here, and it can't be stopped. Understand."

Emma nodded and smiled. "Perfectly."

"Jack!" Daniel called from the event horizon of the Stargate. "I've sent the GDO code."

"Wait until the Stargate shuts off before..." Sam started but Emma cut her off.

"I know."

"Right." Jack sighed. "Time to go then. Move out people."

Daniel shot Emma a quick smile before disappearing into the blue light of the Stargate. Sam followed his up the steps quickly and step through the gate.

"It was an honour to meet you Teal'c." Emma smiled at Teal'c.

"As it was to meet you Emma Kalmin." Teal'c bowed slightly before stepping through the Stargate.

"I'd say see you around but, I won't so there's no point." Emma grinned at Jack. He returned the smile.

"You'd better get ready." He almost whispered to her.

"I'll watch you every day I promise!" Emma called to Jack as he walked up the steps to the Stargate. "Make sure Kerry's OK!"

"I'll take care of Kerry for you." He said as he stepped through.

Emma and Stacy stood alone on the alien planet. The two young girls looked at each other as the Stargate closed.

"Time to go Stacy." Emma grinned.

"No one is ever going to believe this." Stacy grinned back.

"Well here we go." Emma lifted the lid on the black box and pushed the red button underneath. The box made a small beeping sound.

"Off we go." Stacy grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her into the reel of light.

* * *

"We stand here on the site of the phenomenon, where the two girls originally disappeared." An English accent commentated. "No one knows what it is, police have issued a statement saying that, as of yet, it does not appear to be man made."

An American accent shouted into a microphone.

"Emma Kalmin and Kerry-Anne Ramsey were the first. But later the thing, scientists are calling a vortex, claimed another four people. Irene Ronark, Stacy Clunes; tutor to the original girls and their best friend. Mike O'Marrar, police officer called to find them, and Candice McKinley, CNN reporter, were next. Scientists are fascinated, but religious leaders are claiming that this is a sign.

"Only moments ago the vortex reappeared and Mrs Ronark fell through. Now the world is waiting with baited breath to see if the others will follow."

The road in front of Hopwood Hall College, Rochdale campus was filled with news reporters and news vans. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to the six people who disappeared; the entire world was on the edge of their seat.

"And it's opening again!" All the reporters seemed to cry at once.

Two figures fell from the light, followed by pieces of stone and metal as the world they left exploded. "It's them!" A cheer went up.

Reporters and police rushed forward towards Stacy and Emma. They lay there, quite still, relieved that they were alive and home.

"Miss Kalmin can you tell us were you've been?"

"Miss Clunes where are the others?"

"Girls how do you feel?"

"What are you going to do now?"

Questions rushed at them as paramedics hurried forward to tend to their cuts and bruises.

"What happened?" Irene called from the ambulance. "Where's Dr Wardle?"

"He died." Emma called back. "I had to do it to save the others."

"What others?" A policeman next to Stacy looked at Emma. "Where's Mike."

"Dead. So is that reporter woman." Stacy looked up at him from where she lay in the road.

"Where's Kerry?" Someone from the crowd shouted. "Where's Miss Ramsey?"

"Yeah, where is she?" Others joined the first voice.

Emma and Stacy looked at each other and smiled.

"She's dead." They said together.

* * *

"Welcome back SG-1." Hammond smiled at his team. "Where's Miss Kalmin."

"She had to go back to her reality." Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose. "When Dr. Wardle died."

"Died? How?" Hammond was taken aback.

"The vortex became unstable when we dialled the gate and he was hit by some sort of energy blast." Sam stepped forward. "He died instantly."

"Emma Kalmin stepped forward to take his place." Teal'c concluded. "She was most brave."

"Colonel?" Hammond strained to see Jack stood at the back, looking at the iris opening. "Do you have anything to add?"

"No Sir." Jack shook his head.

Hammond regarded Jack for a moment before continuing. "SG-1, debriefing will be at 1600."

"Yes Sir." Sam nodded and plodded out of the gate room, followed closely by Daniel.

"O'Neill?"

Jack turned to face Teal'c. "Yeah?"

"Are you well O'Neill? You seem unusually quiet."

Jack smiled. "Yeah. I just didn't think I'd miss that bossy brat."

"Emma Kalmin?"

"Yep." Jack nodded. "She was OK though. A good kid."

"What of Kerry Ramsey?" Teal'c cocked his head. "Should she not be told of this?"

Jack rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'll go. I need to talk to her anyway."

* * *

The TV flickered as the pictures changed in rapid sequence. But not a sound could be heard as Jack peered round the door to Kerry's new home; her quarters at the SGC. Only the quiet sounds of Kerry breathing in her sleep could be heard as Jack crept closer. Jack smiled and turned the TV off.

"Is she asleep?" Daniel whispered from the doorway, making Jack jump.

"Yeah." He whispered back.

"She's going to be on her own." Daniel shook his head. "I was about her age when I was first alone. My parents were long dead and I'd just been taken out of another home when one of the adults working there was arrested. They shut the whole place down and put us all in separate, temporary, homes with strangers." Daniel looked at the floor, half smiling yet not. "I felt so lonely, as though I didn't have a friend it the world, no one to take care of me."

"Well Kerry has us." Jack put his arm about Daniel's shoulders. "She has you, you won't let her go through what you did. I won't let her go through, well I won't let what happened to Charlie happen to her." Jack took a deep breath. "Carter and Teal'c like her. She'll be fine."

"You think?"

"I know." Jack grinned at Daniel. "Come, let's get washed up. We can tell her later, she'll be in the debriefing. Come on Danny boy. Let's leave her to have a good night's sleep." Jack started to steer Daniel out of the room and closed the door behind them.

"Yeah. I have a feeling it's going to be the last one for a while." Daniel nodded as the two friends walked down the corridor away from Kerry's room.

* * *

The light above Emma flickered, off, on and them off again.

"Irene! This light still doesn't work!" She shouted out.

"Then move Emma." Irene responded. "No one asked you to sit under it."

"No!" Emma shook her head. "I'll put up with it; until it's fixed."

She turned to Stacy, who was working on the computer next to her, and smiled.

"What do you think Kerry's doing right now?" She whispered.

"Not NVQ Administration level 2." Stacy whispered back, then she added seriously. "She's probably very busy with her new job."

"Yeah." Emma nodded, still smiling. "I hope she's OK. I wish I could have stayed."

"What about me?" Stacy laughed. "You had to save me. My hero!"

Both girls laughed then, with a sigh, continued to do their work. Tuesdays were long busy days.

* * *

It had been a week since Kerry and Emma had both appeared through the vortex on P3J-769. After the briefing Kerry had been very quiet, she had smiled and nodded to Daniel, Sam and Teal'c, however she had refused to look or speak to Jack. In the end Sam had volunteered to take Kerry home with her; to allow the young woman rest and company at the same time. Now on Kerry's first day back in the SGC, her first day in her new job as Daniel's assistant, Jack was nervous.

"Calm down Jack." Daniel leaned over to his friend from his seat at the workbench. "She's not going to blame you."

"Ya think Daniel?" Jack spat back, then shot Daniel an apologetic look. Daniel nodded his response.

"I do not understand why you are nervous O'Neill." Teal'c cocked his head. "Kerry Ramsey stated she understood the circumstances under which Emma Kalmin left our reality."

"I know she understood Teal'c." Jack stood up and started pacing. "She's an intelligent young woman, it's just...."

"Just what?" Kerry's voice came from the doorway.

"We're back." Sam announced with a smile.

"It's just I think you blame me for Emma leaving you." Jack squinted, waiting for Kerry to shout, hit him or do something.

"I don't blame you." Kerry smiled. "I think you've forgotten that I know you guys." She motioned to SG-1. "I know that you are called the good guys for a reason."

"Thanks." Daniel smiled. "Now come on. SG-7 brought back some scrolls while you were away. We have to..."

"Daniel." Jack cut Daniel off with a grin. "How about you let me give Kerry an official tour as her new CO first, then you can get her to do you work for you? OK?"

Daniel nodded and smiled as Jack extended a hand to Kerry. She took it and the two left the room to start the tour. Daniel's smile grew as he watched his friend walk away with his new friend. The newest member of the SGC.


End file.
